Motocross of Nations champion crowned

America has once again claimed the top spot at the world’s biggest motocross race, winning one of the most competitive Red Bull FIM Motocross of Nations in history, the American Motorcyclist Association (AMA) reports.

Hopes for another AMA Team USA win at the Motocross of Nations, held this year in Franciacorta, Italy, were slim heading into the last moto. The U.S. squad of Ryan Dungey, Ivan Tedesco and Jake Weimer was third in team points heading into the final race, but an inspired performance — and a little luck — put them firmly in the lead when the dust settled.

"With its win at the 2009 Motocross of Nations, AMA Team USA has once again raised the bar for motocross excellence," said AMA President and CEO Rob Dingman. "Led by team manager and AMA Motorcycle Hall of Famer Roger DeCoster, the trio of Ryan Dungey, Ivan Tedesco and Jake Weimer demonstrated that despite being down, they weren’t out, gave it their all in the final moto and brought the Chamberlain Trophy back to AMA headquarters here in the United States. We congratulate the riders and support crew for another job well done."

AMA Team USA has now won the Motocross of Nations an unprecedented 20 times.

The Motocross of Nations features three-rider teams on motorcycles with varying displacements. In the 2009 event, Dungey raced the MX1 class, which features 450cc four-stroke machinery. Weimer competed in the MX2 class, which features 250cc four-stroke motorcycles. Tedesco raced the Open class.

In the first moto, which combined the MX1 and MX2 class, a consistent showing by Dungey and Weimer, who placed third and eighth, gave AMA Team USA a slim lead ahead of Italy and Great Britain. After the second moto, however, the edge went to France, whose Open and MX2 class riders, Gautier Paulin and Marvin Musquin, finished first and fifth. Belgium also edged out AMA Team USA, which fell to third in team points.

The final moto lined up the MX1 and Open class. A massive tangle on the start straight left a number of riders in the dirt, including Italy’s Antonio Cairoli, who won moto one. Spain’s Jonathan Barragan emerged with the lead, but Dungey was close behind. The American rider soon put his Suzuki out front and paced the field, winning in 17 laps.

The Motocross of Nations is one of the most prestigious motocross races in the world. It features teams competing by nationality for a combined score to determine the overall championship-winning team. The event emerged in post-war Europe in 1947 and has run uninterrupted since that time. The United States is the all-time leader in Motocross of Nations overall victories with 20. Great Britain is second with 16.